E-Mail This Article to a Friend UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

Diane Lane shines in this loose adaptation of Frances Mayes’s popular travel memoir, playing a divorcee who travels to Italy and impulsively buys and restores a Tuscan villa, where her broken heart mends and she slowly finds happiness. Given the slight premise, writer/director Audrey Wells (Guinevere) must rely on Lane and supporting cast members Raoul Bova and Sandra Oh, along with the natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside, to make an impact. But it’s not enough to justify a movie. Under the Tuscan Sun is as predictable and sappy as it sounds, with the obligatory kooky neighbors and setbacks along the road to happiness. And though Lane reveals startling depths of emotion, she’s just one more point of interest along the way. (115 minutes)